Theory
● Theory is a general explanation based on observed patterns of events.
● A description of a single event is helpful ONLY if connected to other events to provide a
general explanation of why something happened.
● Thus, specific events are not unique in theoretical explanation; they are only important
as single instances of broader patterns.
● And similar events may have something in common; BUT not identical, e.g., U.S.
capture of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan vs. U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro in
Venezuela.
The Uses of Theory
● Three related purposes of a theory:
1. Explanation - answers the why question (common causes of an event)
2. Prediction - given the past, what can be expected in the future (application of
explanations to future events)
3. Prescription - suggest policy options (present options to policy makers to choose
the most likely policy option for action.
Normative Theory
● Distinguishing between Normative and Descriptive concepts is a difficult task.
Normative concepts are often described as “values,” they refer to moral principles or
ideals, that which should, ought, or must be brought about.
● Generally, while theory explains why the world works as it does, NORMATIVE theory
asks: How should the world work? What goals should policymakers pursue?
● What values should be acceptable or not, and how should states and individuals
behave?
Overview of Conflict Resolution
● Conflict resolution is “a range of formal or informal activities undertaken by parties to a
conflict, or outsiders, designed to limit or reduce the level of violence in conflict, and to
achieve some understanding on the key issues in conflict, a political agreement, or a
jointly acceptable decision on future interactions and distribution of resources.”
What Conflict Resolution is:
● Not about suppressing, eliminating, or controlling conflicts
● Not about avoiding a conflict
● Certainly not about using superior forces to conquer your enemy
In the end, conflict resolution is about achieving positive peace.
Conflict Management
● Conflict Management is a procedural way parties try to deal with conflict to achieve, at a
minimum, negative peace.
● Put differently, conflict management is how we manage conflict in violent, competitive,
nonviolent, or cooperative ways.
, ● Conflict management tasks can be undertaken by private or public individuals,
institutions, and public or multilateral organizations with specialization in managing
conflicts.
● Conflict management is likely to be successful if a combination of hard power and soft
skills/power is available to the individuals or organizations managing the conflict.
Conflict Management Goals
● Control or limit violence in the dispute
● Contain the geographic scope of the conflict
● Restrict the number of participants in the conflict
Conflict Resolution Goals
● Works to remove the issues at the core of the conflict
● Accepts an expansive view of the conflict – that permits the potential for outright victory
of one group
● Attempts to resolve the underlying issue in a non-violent way
● Create an overlapping bargaining space for the disputants
How Conflict Resolution and Management Intersect
● Negotiation and mediation
● Conflict management preceded Resolution
● Some bargaining tools, like economic sanctions, facilitate both CM and CR
● Conflict Management and Resolution are not mutually exclusive; i.e., one can produce
the other.
The International System
● The transformation of the Westphalian System at the end of the Cold War
● New wave of democratization
● Globalization of information & Increased Economic power – hope for a more just,
democratic world order.
Post-Cold War System
● Globalization denotes: a marked reduction in the barriers between societies and states→
**peace and conflict
● An increasing homogeneity of societies and states
● Democratization of technology and information
● An increase in the volume of interactions between societies – trade, capital, volumes of
currency traded, easy movements of tourists & terrorists, and weapons
● Movements of migrants – both human and non-human migrants, e.g., infectious
diseases and, yes, democratization of violence
Post-Cold War contd.
● Collapse of Soviet Union – new forms of/intensification of conflicts – from interstates to
intrastate
● Theory is a general explanation based on observed patterns of events.
● A description of a single event is helpful ONLY if connected to other events to provide a
general explanation of why something happened.
● Thus, specific events are not unique in theoretical explanation; they are only important
as single instances of broader patterns.
● And similar events may have something in common; BUT not identical, e.g., U.S.
capture of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan vs. U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro in
Venezuela.
The Uses of Theory
● Three related purposes of a theory:
1. Explanation - answers the why question (common causes of an event)
2. Prediction - given the past, what can be expected in the future (application of
explanations to future events)
3. Prescription - suggest policy options (present options to policy makers to choose
the most likely policy option for action.
Normative Theory
● Distinguishing between Normative and Descriptive concepts is a difficult task.
Normative concepts are often described as “values,” they refer to moral principles or
ideals, that which should, ought, or must be brought about.
● Generally, while theory explains why the world works as it does, NORMATIVE theory
asks: How should the world work? What goals should policymakers pursue?
● What values should be acceptable or not, and how should states and individuals
behave?
Overview of Conflict Resolution
● Conflict resolution is “a range of formal or informal activities undertaken by parties to a
conflict, or outsiders, designed to limit or reduce the level of violence in conflict, and to
achieve some understanding on the key issues in conflict, a political agreement, or a
jointly acceptable decision on future interactions and distribution of resources.”
What Conflict Resolution is:
● Not about suppressing, eliminating, or controlling conflicts
● Not about avoiding a conflict
● Certainly not about using superior forces to conquer your enemy
In the end, conflict resolution is about achieving positive peace.
Conflict Management
● Conflict Management is a procedural way parties try to deal with conflict to achieve, at a
minimum, negative peace.
● Put differently, conflict management is how we manage conflict in violent, competitive,
nonviolent, or cooperative ways.
, ● Conflict management tasks can be undertaken by private or public individuals,
institutions, and public or multilateral organizations with specialization in managing
conflicts.
● Conflict management is likely to be successful if a combination of hard power and soft
skills/power is available to the individuals or organizations managing the conflict.
Conflict Management Goals
● Control or limit violence in the dispute
● Contain the geographic scope of the conflict
● Restrict the number of participants in the conflict
Conflict Resolution Goals
● Works to remove the issues at the core of the conflict
● Accepts an expansive view of the conflict – that permits the potential for outright victory
of one group
● Attempts to resolve the underlying issue in a non-violent way
● Create an overlapping bargaining space for the disputants
How Conflict Resolution and Management Intersect
● Negotiation and mediation
● Conflict management preceded Resolution
● Some bargaining tools, like economic sanctions, facilitate both CM and CR
● Conflict Management and Resolution are not mutually exclusive; i.e., one can produce
the other.
The International System
● The transformation of the Westphalian System at the end of the Cold War
● New wave of democratization
● Globalization of information & Increased Economic power – hope for a more just,
democratic world order.
Post-Cold War System
● Globalization denotes: a marked reduction in the barriers between societies and states→
**peace and conflict
● An increasing homogeneity of societies and states
● Democratization of technology and information
● An increase in the volume of interactions between societies – trade, capital, volumes of
currency traded, easy movements of tourists & terrorists, and weapons
● Movements of migrants – both human and non-human migrants, e.g., infectious
diseases and, yes, democratization of violence
Post-Cold War contd.
● Collapse of Soviet Union – new forms of/intensification of conflicts – from interstates to
intrastate
